


Restoration

by applered



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Episode Ignis Verse 2, Getting Together, Ignoct New Years Gift Exchange, M/M, Post-Canon, Post-Episode Ignis Verse 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-10-05 20:32:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17331869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/applered/pseuds/applered
Summary: Ten years in perpetual night leaves Ignis with dark shadows that continued to follow him, even in the midst of helping rebuild the kingdom of Lucis to its former glory. Noctis helps remind him of the times when the night didn't always have daemons lurking in the dark.Takes place Post-Canon after the events of Episdoe Ignis, Verse 2.





	Restoration

**Author's Note:**

> For Kirimidraws! Sorry this is a bit last minute. I hope this counts as something fluffy that you might enjoy. Happy New Year!

The Citadel stretched skyward in the distance toward a grey sky, its looming towers flecked with the cracks of battle. At the foot of the building the streets of Insomnia lay in a haphazard sprawl, with the Crown City residents stepping carefully around the torn stone and metal strewn across the ruined city in heaps. Survivors of the Starscourge – ones turned survivalists in a home plagued by Niflheim invaders and daemons - worked to begin restoring their nation to an entity resembling its past glory, clearing rubble from roads powdered with the debris from former homes and storefronts. Many more foraged the nooks and crannies of the city in slim hopes of finding survivors, and children who had been born into the darkness played their part in salvaging materials that could be used to rebuild what had been left of their homes. 

Insomnia was slow to rebuild, and perhaps the cracks in the kingdom of Lucis would never truly fade, Ignis muses. The same could be said of its people. He’d made a habit of accompanying Noctis in his routine visits as part of the kingdom’s restoration, and what they encountered was a constant reminder to the both of them that their nation was not out of the dark just yet. They visited Lucian residents of all sorts: shopkeepers, businessmen, civil servants, tradespeople, hunters, homemakers. In all cases, the gazes from the same gaunt faces and tired eyes would drift over them and send an uncomfortable prickle across his skin. 

That wasn’t to say that he and Noctis were in short supply of any dark shadows of their own. In the past ten years, during the darkness of perpetual night, while the garbled snarls of daemons swirled and spiraled through the air just outside their safe haven at Hammerhead, doubt crept onto his shoulder and whispered insecurities into his ear – insecurities concerning his true ability to lead a movement against the Starscourge, his true ability to stay sane while daemons and Magitek troopers plunged Eos into chaos, and his true ability to be able to save Noctis from a fate ordained by the gods. Looking at Noctis now, Ignis still had to ground himself with little touches, a hand on his shoulder or the small of his back, to make sure that he wasn’t merely deluding himself into believing that His Majesty was there. When he did so, he could feel Noctis lean into his touch ever so slightly, seeing the corners of his lips curling upwards.

Noctis himself never went into detail about his time spent in the Crystal. Nonetheless, Ignis would notice the sharpened way Noctis observed the world around him, steely eyes framed through hardened features. Lurking beneath, however, was still the same compassion and determination that he had seen in Noctis years before, one that drove him to continue pushing through hardship after hardship, loss after loss, so that the people of Eos could see the night as something beautiful, not to be feared. Yes, the man who stood before him – one who maintained the elegant lines of his posture yet intermittently picked uncomfortably at the cuffs and collar of his suit, one who spoke without quiver to his people yet whose gaze sought to steady itself by meeting Ignis’s – was the true king of Lucis. 

 

\- - -

 

Dawn fell to night as it usually did on the days that they performed their visits, and slowly the people of Insomnia began to retreat into their homes, silence sweeping the streets as though a blanket had been draped over the city and muffled its residents into compliance. On nights like these, the thudding against Ignis’s ribcage would speed up and intensify, and he felt as though the icy hands of a cadaver were encircling his chest, constricting it. Although he knew that daemons no longer crept under the cover of the night, Ignis still felt himself slide the fingers of one hand around the hilt of a dagger strapped to his waist. The feeling of the cold metal bleeding through the material of his glove steadied him.

Ignis could see the way that Noctis’s eyes would dart to the hand every so often, creasing his lips into a frown but saying nothing. Ignis sighed. They’d been through this conversation many times before, but the excuses always felt hollow. Without proper fortification, the wild beasts from outside Insomnia could have taken up residence within our walls, he would say. With the government still being reestablished, people are likely take advantage of the night to perform criminal acts, he insisted. With each excuse uttered, the reaction was always the same: mouth twisted into the same frown, accompanied by a low hum of what vaguely sounded like contemplation. 

Once they walked through the doors of the Citadel, Ignis began to make his way to the right toward an elaborately furnished, private room tucked into expansive hallways filled with the offices of government officials. After each visit to the city, they would typically hide away into the office of the king, which functioned as their shared office most days. Noctis would plop into the chair behind the desk, causing the leather to squeak in indignation, while Ignis settled into the chair across from him. The two of them would fall into the same routine: discussing what the Lucian citizens were experiencing, how they related to the issues they were currently dealing with, and how they could find solutions to effectively address them. 

Most times, Ignis left the office feeling as though an overenthusiastic spider had taken up residence in his mind and began firing too many webs at once, weaving through and tangling itself repeatedly until his brain felt like a useless, dense ball. However, he selfishly looked forward to these moments where he could keep Noctis to himself, away from others who demanded his presence. It was one of the rare times where he could see Noctis lie back into his chair, shoulders loose and palms open, feet thrown carelessly onto the solid wood desk. Though Noctis always voiced his irritation with how complicated the issues could become, whenever they reached a breakthrough he would let his smile radiate, unbridled. Ignis felt his chest swell with warmth at the sight, a smile threatening to bloom across his face. 

Before he could take one step toward their office, however, Noctis suddenly grabbed onto his elbow, effectively stopping Ignis in his tracks. Ignis must have let the surprise show on his face, as Noctis pinked faintly and rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand.

“I, uh, was thinking we could talk somewhere else tonight,” he mumbled. Neck bent and shoulders hunched slightly, it was a far cry from the dignified king he had observed conversing with the citizens of Lucis that day. 

“Certainly,” Ignis said, though his brows remained furrowed.

Noctis released his hold on Ignis’s elbow and grinned.

“Good.”

Noctis lead Ignis to the hallway on the right, guiding them through sweeping hallways until they ventured outside around the outskirts of the building. The Citadel gardens were visible to them through glass walls to their left. When Noctis made his way toward the stairs leading underground, realization dawned on Ignis. 

Ah, so this was where Noctis was taking him.

He trailed close behind as Noctis weaved through the twists and turns of the underground passage with ease, the groan of pipes echoing off the concrete walls. Not having traveled through this passage in years, Ignis started to feel overwhelmed, attempting to blink away his disorientation while trying to follow Noctis at the same time. 

They eventually emerged above ground through an exit funneling them to a forest located outside of the Citadel perimeter, Ignis being put at ease by the branches stretching above them, some in elegant twirls and others in mangled clumps, but all of them painting a familiar scene that he hadn’t viewed in quite some time. They walked until the wooden planks of a bridge creaked underneath him, and he and Noctis stood shoulder-to-shoulder. He ran his fingers along the railings in front of him, curled them around the wood, and he leaned over, being greeted with an aerial view of the foliage below and the trees surrounding them. Ignis’s breathing hitched when his gaze followed the swirling trail of branches in their paths skyward, framing the sight of an ink-blank sky speckled with the twinkle of stars stretching above them. 

“Nice view, right?” Noctis said, a playful color tinging his words. When Ignis turned to him, he found it difficult to suppress a smile at the way that Noctis’s eyes were crinkled at the corners, gleaming with satisfaction underneath the light of the moon. He then leaned his elbows against the railings, slowly releasing a shaky sigh. “Thank Astrals.”

Ignis’s brows furrowed. “I beg your pardon?”

Noctis had the decency to look sheepish, and turned his attention to the ground beneath the bridge.

“I…can tell that the night is still affecting you pretty badly,” Noctis said, averting his stare and choosing instead to pick at the ridges in the wood. “I know that ten years in the dark must’ve been awful. I can’t imagine how you guys stayed sane the entire time.”

“It had its difficulties, yes,” Ignis said carefully, watching Noctis’s fingers trace the indentations so that they cut dully into his skin. 

Noctis snorted. “That’s an understatement if I’ve ever heard one.” He stopped and pointedly stared at the dagger nestled in its sheath at Ignis’s waist. Before he could stop himself, a reply rolled off of Ignis’s tongue:

“It’s for your protection, Noct.”

Noctis shook his head. “I’m not saying that the dagger is useless. You can’t be too careful, especially with the city in this state. That’s not what I’m talking about. Every time night rolls around, you’re still waiting for the daemons to come out, right?”

Ignis wanted to deny Noctis’s accusation, but his throat constricted. He cleared his throat, trying one more time with his eyes averted to the side. “I am aware that your sacrifice removed them from this world. We won’t be seeing them any longer.”

“Ignis.” Ignis is startled when he feels Noctis’s hand clap onto his shoulder, and Noctis’s stare bored into him fiercely. “I know that you know. But you can’t just expect ten years’ experiences of daemon-hunting in the dark to suddenly evaporate just because the dawn arrived.” 

A swell of fondness manifested itself in Ignis’s chest, helping to sweep away the particles of unrest which settled in a heap within his mind. If one so much as fidgeted one too many times, it was usually fruitless in attempting to slip away from under the scrutiny of Noctis’s crosshairs. Though he prided himself in being able to understand Noctis’s thoughts, feelings, and wants better than Eos’s finest cartographers could understand the curves and swells of the land, Noctis could do just the same with him. Such was both a blessing and a curse to having been raised with the Crown Prince. “I…suppose you have a point,” he relented.

Noctis twisted his mouth into a sympathetic frown. “That’s why I took you here,” he said, removing his hand from Ignis’s shoulder to lazily gesture around them. “You’re always watching. You always feel like you have to keep your eyes on everything in case something jumps out to attack us. But you know where you never look?” 

Ignis blinked at him, his mouth parted in confusion. He shook his head slowly. 

“Up,” Noctis continued, pointing up at the stars glimmering overhead. “The night meant an entirely different thing to us before, remember?”

Of course Ignis did.

\- - -

 

The first time he had visited this bridge, a seven-year-old Noctis had dragged him by the arm with one hand and heaved a large book of constellations under his free arm, babbling excitedly about being able to be underneath the stars and watch as they told their stories. He remembered feeling the thudding of his heartbeat echoing within the walls of his skull, terrified at the repercussions of being caught away from the Citadel alone, and at this time of night. However, he found that not even the most responsible nine-year-old in Insomnia, as labeled by King Regis himself, did not have the heart to dampen the excitement on Noctis’s face. As a result, Ignis and Noctis found themselves leaning against the railings of the wooden bridge during the black of night, the two of them putting their weight into propping up the large book for reference. Many times after, even after the attack from the Marilith, Ignis would find himself being tugged on the sleeve by a more subdued Noctis for a more quiet appreciation of the stories above them. 

As they grew older, when Ignis began to devote much of the dead of night to his studies, he would catch Noctis padding toward their passageway on his own. These instances of stargazing served more to clear Noctis’s head rather than explore ancient stories, during a time when the deteriorating health of his father, Gladio’s constant criticism of his training, and, Ignis regrets, his own lack of faith in Noctis, made the teen feel as though he were being pulled and stretched from different directions. However, he found that Noctis did not object when Ignis joined him on some nights, the two of them appreciating the silence together. 

Despite his life revolving around his duties to his prince, during these moments Ignis would sometimes find himself able to clear all reminders of the outside world – the war with Niflheim, King Regis’s failing health, royal negotiations, his duties as an adviser, all of it – from their safe haven on the bridge. On this bridge, they were merely Noctis and Ignis, not prince and advisor. Encased in a private retreat where no one could tell him otherwise, Ignis would see a teenager burdened by the expectations others held for him, angered by circumstances out of his control, but determined to follow through with his duties for the sake of others, and, most importantly, maintain a kindness so genuinely generous yet nonchalantly presented. On this bridge, where Prince Noctis was Noct, Ignis felt his feelings morph into something more than what his title allowed.

The last time the both of them had spent time alone together on this bridge was mere days before he, Noctis, Prompto, and Gladio were set to leave for Altissia. The two of them had stayed the night in the Citadel after a day spent consulting with Citadel officials regarding the terms of Noctis’s marriage with Lady Lunafreya. Despite his personal feelings, Ignis had always foreseen the match between them, though not under these particular circumstances. He found that as long as he remained by Noctis’s side, in any shape or form, Ignis would remain content. 

On that night, Ignis had decided to visit Noctis in his chambers to discuss several logistics of their journey, but found that the room was empty. Without hesitation, Ignis knew to find Noctis leaning against the railings of the bridge, deep in thought as he stared at the ground below. 

“Aren’t we a bit too old for late night escapades?” Ignis asked.

A grin tugs at the corners of Noctis’s lips, though the smile does not quite reach his eyes. Without looking up, he replies, “You wish.” 

Ignis hesitates, casting a sidelong glance at him. “Needed some time to process the talks from today?”

Noctis sighs, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Kinda.”

“I could leave you be, if you –“

“No,” Noctis interrupts firmly. “I- I mean…” Noctis clears his throat, shuffling from one foot to the other. “You being here is fine. I was actually kind of expecting it.” Ignis merely nods, letting the silence stretch out between them.

“It’s just – it’s hard to believe that everything is happening so fast,” Noctis continues. 

Ignis allows himself a grimace in sympathy. “The circumstances are not ideal, no.” Noctis hums in agreement, scraping his foot against the wooden planks beneath them. “Although I must say that the marriage itself isn’t too objectionable.”

Noctis hums once more, though the tone of his voice suggests that he sounds much less convinced. “I guess you’re right.”

Ignis turns to him, eyebrow raised. “You are not pleased with your marriage to Lady Lunafreya?” 

Noctis scrubs a hand through his hair, angling himself away from Ignis before emitting a mildly strangled noise. He turns back to him, and this time it’s his turn to grimace. “It sounds kind of bratty when you put it that way. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Why have you not told anyone you felt this way?” Ignis says, willing his voice to remain measured. 

“Well it’s not like I really had a choice, did I?” Noctis replies with a half shrug. “It’d just make everything harder for everyone else if they found out. Besides, it’s not like I absolutely hate the idea of having to marry Luna. It’s not that. I like her a lot, believe me. But there’s a big difference between someone’s words on a page and what they’re actually like in person. My dad was lucky enough to marry someone he knew – like really knew – and fell in love with. But me? I was never meant to be so lucky.”

Ignis straightens his back, the skin at the back of his neck prickling. “I see. If you had it your way, you would perhaps choose to marry a young lady at your school?”

Noctis coughs lightly, his knuckles partially shielding a steadily pinkening visage. “Doesn’t necessarily have to be a young lady.”

Ignis hums in thought, not necessarily surprised at this admission. He’d seen Noctis taking notice of young women and men alike over the years they’d known one another. Though if the way that Noctis reacted was an indication of anything...

“Anyone I am familiar with?”

Noctis’s cough turns into a choking sound, the tips of his ears steadily blooming copper underneath the glow of the moonlight. “What makes you say I’m thinking of someone?”  
“Call it an advisor’s intuition,” Ignis responds, failing to prevent his amusement from leaking into his words.

“C-cut it out, you already know who I hang out with, and it’s not much.” Noctis crosses his arms, hunching into himself. Ah, he was getting defensive.

“Prompto?”

“What?” Noctis splutters, his elbows sliding off of the railings and almost sending him tumbling into the ground below. Ignis places a hand on his shoulder to steady him, to which Noctis mutters a small thanks. “Prompto? Are you serious? He’s my best friend!”

“Which makes it all the more likely,” Ignis insists, finding himself having a bit of fun despite the way his chest began to constrict little by little. 

“NO,” Noctis says firmly. 

“Gladio?”

“Hell no.”

“Cor?”

“…I’m not even going to dignify that with a response,” Noctis grumbles, pulling his coat tighter around himself. Ignis smiles at the sight. “No, I wasn’t thinking about anyone,” he concludes with a sniff. 

“In any case,” Ignis continues, “I’m sure that you and Lady Lunafreya will learn to love each other like many other matches made in the royal family. If not romance, then certainly an admirable partnership at the very least.”

Noctis sighs again, closing his eyes and propping his cheek onto his hand and letting it scrunch in his palm. “Thanks,” he deadpans.

“Noct,” Ignis says in a more serious tone, startling Noctis into opening his eyes and turning toward him. “I have grown alongside you all of these years, and watched you transform into one of the finest young men I have ever known.” Noctis makes a small noise of disbelief, which spurs Ignis further. “Yes, it’s true. You may play video games more than you should, you never clean your apartment, and you refuse to properly nourish yourself, but you have the true heart of a leader – you never fail to put the thoughts of others before your own, and you always stick to what you believe is morally right. I have complete faith in you, Noct.”

At this point Noctis’s hand slid from his cheek and he straightened his back, loosening his shoulders and raising his chin ever so slightly. “Thanks, Ignis. That means a lot to me.”  
“His Highness himself means a lot to me,” Ignis says truthfully. 

A small smile creeps its ways onto Noctis’s face, and they spent the rest of the night gazing skyward as the stars flickered overhead. 

 

\- - -

 

“How could I possibly forget?” Ignis looked upwards for a second time, the stars above him winking as though greeting him for the first time after having been hidden away after a very, very long wait. 

“Do you…also remember the conversation we had the last time we were here?” Noctis prodded further, suddenly peeling his fingers away from the wooden railings and fiddling with the cuffs of his suit jacket. 

Ignis nodded. “Yes, of course. It was before we set out for Altissia – or we thought we were. Several detours, if I recall,” he added. 

Noctis barked out a laugh. “Yeah, you could call it that.” He sobered, suddenly, however, and continued. “Do you remember what we were talking about?”

“Your partnership to Lady Lunafreya, and your competency as king despite a marriage tainted by unfortunate circumstance,” Ignis stated simply.

Noctis scrubbed at his hair once more, startling Ignis with an echoed image of his younger self. “Yeah, but we talked about something else.”

“Ah, your romantic inclinations, perhaps?” Ignis asked, heart speeding a touch. “I recall you denied that there were any.”

“Yeah, well I lied just a little bit.” He moved onto picking at the imaginary lint on his lapels. “There really was someone I was thinking about when you asked me that question.”

Ignis’s brows wrinkled in confusion. “That was years and years ago. Do you mean to say that…even now? After all this time?” 

Noctis nodded, worrying his bottom lip as he finally tore his eyes away from his suit jacket. Ignis’s mouth went dry, feeling the heat blossom across his cheeks and across his entire face as he met Noctis’s anxious, yet unwavering gaze. 

“Ah,” Ignis said, even as his heart hammered against his chest while hope and bewilderment cease any mental capacity he once held. “It’s no small wonder you complied so easily with the Marshal’s request to help infiltrate the remaining Niflheim bases in the city.”

Noctis’s features crumbled into mild revulsion, and he put a hand on each of Ignis’s shoulders to push him away, crossing his arms indignantly afterwards. “I’m being serious here!” Noctis grumbled a bit before regaining his composure, loosening his shoulders and raising his chin to regal heights in an attempt to affect a languid, yet confident disposition.

Ignis felt his heart swell and hammer against his ribcage in frantic excitement. He felt himself squirm under the weight of Noctis’s gaze, one that felt as though it pierced through his skin, dissecting the layers. He struggled against the flush that bloomed across his cheeks, feeling slightly disoriented from the unwelcome warmth. For years Ignis never allowed himself to entertain the possibility of Noctis returning his feelings, but now, staring at his king reduced to uncertain stammers and fidgets, it gave him a burst of adrenaline akin to standing on the precipice of a cliff.

“It was you, Ignis,” Noctis said in a voice barely above a breath. “It was always you.”

For a moment Ignis could only gape at the words uttered in the dark. There were no low, rumbling snarls leaking from the shadows – only a confession whispered as a secret to the stars that twinkled above. Then, wordlessly, Ignis took Noctis’s hand into his own and pressed a featherlight kiss to his knuckles. 

“As for me,” Ignis says, “I have been, and always will be, yours.” 

The hand Ignis held in his own almost shook, and Noctis had to steady himself before bringing the back of Ignis’s hand to his lips.

No, the shadows that followed both Ignis and Noctis would never truly fade, but that did not stop them from being able to build toward something even greater than what they had before.


End file.
